Ventilating device for cars



N. 1 wlLLER l 2,063,283

VENTILATING DEVICE FOR CARS Filed July l0, 19155 2 Shee'IzS-SheeiI l Dec. s, 1936.

111A 1|I| IIIL VIII- V Dec. 8, 1936. N. 1 WILLER 2,063,283

VENTILATING DEVICE FOR CARS Filed July lO, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ilIHIHM. uw

@Ma/wf @74 Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Nicholas L. Willer, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Railway Utility Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application July 10,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to Ventilating devices for cars, and the'like, and it has to do particularly with so-called intake ventilators adapted to be mounted, preferably, upon the roof of the car for admitting fresh air into the car.

In the use of ventilators of this type, the admission of air to the car depends upon movement of the car, and it is highly desirable that the amount of air be controlled in such a way that it will be admitted in substantially uniform amounts regardless of the speed of the car. One of the objects of this invention is, therefo-re, to provide an improved intake ventilator that provides for a substantially uniform intake of air at all car speeds.

A further object is to provide an intake ventilator arranged to automatically regulate the admission of air into the car so as to admit air in substantially uniform quantities at all times, the construction and arrangement of the ventilator parts being such that this automatic control is carried out positively and in a uniform manner notwithstanding varying air pressures within the ventilator due to varying car speeds.

Another object is to provide a ventilator of the foregoing character that is quite simple in construction, may be readily applied to both new `and old cars, is inexpensive to manufacture, and which operates in a highly efficient manner at all times.

l Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this description progresses and by `reference to the drawings wherein,-

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of ventilator structure embodying the invention, certain of the parts being cut away to more clearly illustrate the parts thereof;

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, I have shown my improved ventilator mounted on a car roof IIJ having a -ventilating Yopening II therein covered at its inner end by a suitable screen or grating I2.

The ventilator structure is mounted over the roof opening I I in such a way that air admitted through the ventilator passes through the opening I I into the car as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2.

The .ventilator takes the form of a casing including a bottom wall I3 secured directly to the carv roof by screws or other suitable fastening devices I4. The inward end of the bottom wall I3 terminates at the Ventilating opening II, at

1935, Serial No. 30,610

which point it is formed to provide an upstanding ange I5. The ventilator casing further includes end walls I6 and I 'I and an integral top wall I8 which have suitable flanges I9 secured to the roof Ill by screws or suitable fastening devices 20. The end walls I6 and I'I are so shaped that Vthe topI wall I8 takes a bow-like shape curving from'the inward side edge of the opening II upwardly and then downwardly to the outer side edge of the bottom Wall I3 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The ventilator is so constructed and arranged that air is admitted thereto and into the car as the car moves along, the pressure and volume of the air admitted to the ventilator increasing i with increased car speed and vice versa, but the amount of air admitted to the interior of the car is maintained substantially -uniform in amount. I will now describe the ventilator structure by which this action is obtained.

The front ventilator wall I6 is provided with a plurality of lateral slots or openings 22 (Figs. 1 and 2) which extend from, the inner side A of the ventilator casing toward but terminating short of the outer side B thereof, and through which air is admitted as the car moves along. Inwardly andupwardly inclined deectors 23 are struck from the end wall I6 in forming the slotted openings 22, and these deflectors prevent rain, snow, and the like, from'being driven directly into the Ventilator with the air. The interior of the ventilator is provided with a vertical partition wall 24 directly in front of the openings 22 substantially parallel with the end Walls I6, II and which extends from the innermost edge A of the ven-l tilatork casing toward the outer side B thereof a distance subst-antially equal to the length of the slotted openings 22. In this mannenthe interior of the casing is divided into two chambers VV25 and 26 which I may term, respectively, air inlet and interior of the casing in the manner described, a

U-shaped passageway is formed therein and the 24 so that it passes through the openingy 2'I andx, then forwardly into the enlarged chamber 26 which communicates directly, under the control.

of the valve-likey means which willlbe described hereinafter, with the car Ventilating opening II.

By 4thus Vdeflecting the airand4 adr'ntting` itito'l the enlarged chamber 23, an air stabilizing effect is produced within the chamber 26 so that, at any particular speed of the car, the air will flow from the chamber 26 to the car opening with a more or less uniform pressure effect which is of importance with respect to the operation of the means for controlling the flow of air from the chamber 2B which will now be described.

The means controlling the flow of air from the chamber 26 to the car opening II is of a character adapted to maintain the air fed to the car substantially at the same amount at all car speeds, and it is of such character that it operates automatically under the control of the pressure of the air admitted to the ventilator. To this end, I provide in the upper portion of the casing a stationary plate 28 extending from the top wall I8 diagonally downward toward the upstanding ange I5 of the bottom wall I3, and the lower edge of this plate 28 together with the upper edge of the flange I5 deiines an opening 29 connecting with the ventilator chamber 2| leading directly into the car. Another plate 30 is provided and it cooperates with the plate 28 to control the flow of air through the opening 29. The plate 30 is supported by a pair of spaced arms 3| that are hingedly mounted Iat 3 Ia upon the ventilator casing in such a way that the plate 30 may swing freely toward and from the opening 23, as indicated by the full and dotted line illustrations thereof in Fig. 2. The plate 33 is of such size and shape that when it is swung to its dotted line position of Fig. 2, it substantially closes the opening 29 except for a very small clear-ance around the edges thereof which will admit a small amount of air at the higher car speeds. The plate 30, when the car is at rest, assumes the full line position of Fig, 2 and, as the car is moved along and its speed increased, air from the chamber 26 will tend to flow over the top of the plate and downwardly through the opening 29 into the car. as the car speed is increased, the increased pressure of the air on the plate 33 will move it toward its dotted line position, thereby gradually restricting the passageway over the top of the plate 30 and between the plates 28 and 30. In this way, the amount of air admitted to the car is reducedV as the speed of the car is increased, until finally at a desired speed (for example, 25 miles per hour) the plate 30 will be moved to its closed position (Fig. 2) practically closing the opening 29 so that the only air admitted to the car will be that which passes through the clearance space around the edge of the plate 30 (Fig. 2). The clearance provided in the closed position of plate 30 is sufficient to admit substantially the amount of air proportionately admitted at lower car speeds and before the plate 30 is closed.

The plate 30, 'unless otherwise taken care of, will tend to swing backward and forward in an irregular manner under the p-ressure of the air thereby tending to hinder the intended uniformity in air flow into the car. To guard against this undesirable action and to insure the proper position of the plate 30 at varying vcar speeds, I, in part, provide a compensating means as follows: An inverted pan-shaped member 32 is mounted upon the bottom wall I3 adjacent the bottom wall flange I5 with its top wall extending throughout the length of the plate member 30 and in the swing-path of the lower edge thereof. The top wall of this member 32 is slightly concave to accommodate the path of movement of the lower edge of the plate 3D, and such top wall is provided with a plurality of openings 33 of V-like shape arranged to increase in width to- Ward the bottom wall flange I5. Since the openings 33 are located directly beneath the lower' edge of the plate 3|), some of the air from chamber 2G is by-passed through the forward portions of these openings as the plate 30 begins to move toward its closed position (dotted lines of Fig. 2), thereby providing for escape of a quantity of air proportional to the amount entering the ventilator and tending to stabilize the action of the plate 30 and to` minimize the tendency of the same to vibrate or move back and forth under the influence of the air. The air passing through the openings 33 enters the space 34 formed between the pan-shaped member 32 and the bottom Wall I3. One end of the space 34 is open through the end wall I1 (Fig. 3) so that the air thus admitted thereto is permitted to escape to atmosphere.

I have also found that by providing thecomparatively large stabilizing chamber 2B, irregularities in air flow, under all car speed conditions, are minimized so that a more uniform air pressure is exerted upon the plate 30 thereby aiding in proportionate positioning of the plate 30 and further reducing any tendency of such plate to move to and fro.

I believe that the operation and advantages of' my invention will be apparent from the foregoing. As the car moves along, air at a pressure and in amount dependent upon the car speed is admitted to the ventilator through the openings 22, and it nds its way into the stabilizing chamber 26 and thence to the car opening II under the control of the plates 28 and 30 which provide a valving action Whichl is automatic under the control of the air admitted. As the speed of the car and the pressure of the air is increased, the plate 30 moves .closer and closer to its closed position, thereby gradually restricting the amount of air admitted to the car, excess air being discharged through the openings 33 so that the amount of air admitted at all operating car speeds is substantially uniform in amount.

It will be understood that, although I have shown only one form of structure embodying my invention, changes indetails and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as dened by the claims that follow.

I claim:

l. A ventilator of the class described comprising a casing having a bottom wall formed to provide an opening adapted for connection with a car inlet opening, end and top walls, the forward end wall being provided with openings for the admission of air tok the casing in quantity varying with the speed of the car, means for dividing the interior of said casing into substantially parallel air inlet and air stabilizing chambers interconnected at a point laterally of said forward end wall openings, and control means between said stabilizing chamber and said bottom opening for admitting substantially the same amount of air to the car regardless of varying car speeds.

2. A ventilator of the class described compris ing a casing having a bottom wall formed to provide an opening adapted for connection with a car inlet opening, end and top walls, the for-A ward end wall being provided with openings for the admission of air to the casing in quantity varying with the speed of the car, means forming a U-shaped passageway within said casingl into which air is directly admitted through the openings in said forward end wall and from which air is discharged through said bottom opening, the discharge portion of said passage being of greater area than the inlet portion thereof, and means controlling the discharge of air from said passageway in such a way that substantially an equal amount o-f air is discharged into the car through said botto-m opening at varying car speeds.

3. A ventilator of the class described comprising a casing having a bottom wall formed to provide an opening adapted for connection with a car inlet opening, end and top walls, the forward end wall being provided with openings for the entry of air to the casing in quantity varying with the speed of the car, baffle means disposed directly in front of said forward end wall openings at substantially right angles to the ow of air therethrough and dividing said .casing into a passageway extending away from, then laterally of and then toward said bottom opening, and means between said passageway and said bottom opening for admitting substantially only the same amount of air to the car as the speed of the car is varied between its operating limits.

4. A ventilator of the class described comprising a casing having a top, end and botto-m walls, the forward end wall being provided with slotted openings extending from one side of said casing and terminating short of the other side, a vertical partition wall within said casing and of a length substantially the same as said openings, said partiiton wall being spaced from but lo'- cated closer to said forward end wall than the rearward end. wall dividing said casing into a comparatively small air inlet chamber laterally connected with a comparatively large air stabilizing chamber, the bottom of said casing being formed to provide an opening adapted to connect with a car opening, and means between said stabilizing chamber and said bottom opening for maintaining the amount of air fed to the car substantially the same for all various car operating speeds.

5. A ventilato-r of the class described comprising a casing having side walls and a bottom wall with an opening adapted for connection with a car inlet opening, a partition wall in said casing extending from one of said side walls and terminating short of the other side wall to provide connected chambers, means for admitting air to one of said chambers in such a way that the air strikes said partition wall and is deflected toward said other chamber, and means between the latter chamber and sai-d bottom wall opening for maintaining the amount of air fed to said bottom opening substantially the same for varying car speeds.

NICHOLAS L. WILLER. 

